Launched in 2010, Smarten Up Institute is the independent Canadian provider of financial services training, with over 155 course modules, 8 designations listed on the IIROC website, the MFDA ETF qualifying course and exam, and over 4000 graduates. SUI’s clients include regulators, banks, credit unions, correspondent firms, small dealers and the general public. An employee owned company, SUI brings an approach to education that is unmatched in Canada, offering great classroom, online and customized instruction led by the industry's best and most respected experts.
 
What makes Smarten Up Institute different is:
 
·         SmartDirect® is SUI’s proprietary online learning and content management system. Using the Internet, the system delivers courses and examinations, in English and French, to students and provides clients with administrative tools and reports. A distinguishing feature of Smart Direct® is the ease with which changes to course materials and examinations can be uploaded in real time. On successful completion of industry accredited courses, students receive an electronically issued certificate used to obtain continuing education (CE) credits.
 
·         Advisor SmartCase® is SUI’s proprietary compliance solution powered by SmartDirect® and secured to the Advisor’s personal profile. SmartCase® provides an ALL IN ONE solution for Certificate Management, Credential Management and Compliance Briefcase. 
·         Credential management – we keep track of all your CE and Licensed credits with any license and any regulator to your profile;
·         Certificate Management – no more getting secondary certificates – we track all certificates – no matter the source;
·         Online Compliance Briefcase – we keep all your most important regulatory information at your command and extra secure – need your E&O insurance tracked and able to be verified?
All information stored in the SmartCase® can be verified, tracked, retrieved and distributed on demand anywhere, anytime.
 
·         Ask An Expert® on our SmartDirect® system provide associations, product manufacturers or advisors the opportunity to hold exclusive online live question periods on a variety of topics. For the opportunity to ask a specific question, you can register to participate in the live sessions. You can also view previous discussions within the system and get in-depth information about a particular topic. 
 
·         Smart Talk® is an SUI virtual class and live chat show in which subjects of topical interest are presented and debated, for example High Frequency Trading or Best Interest Standards.
 
·         Smart Mentor Program® is another innovation providing an avenue for “up and coming” stars to obtain advice from the industry’s senior players. A recent example has been SUI’s sponsorship of the Investment Industry Association of Canada’s“Top Under 40” program and the donation of a Smart Mentor Program® to the winner of this year’s competition.
 
·         Classroom courses provide a large portion of the company’s custom services. Client firms select courses from the published syllabus or request hybrid courses to meet specific requirements. Classroom courses are held in all the major Canadian cities or via our virtual class. A recent growth area for SUI has been delivering seminar and conference programs for larger firms to assist them in effectively assimilating complex regulatory change and highlighting the attendant implications to their business.
 
·         Additional Resources for Client Support.  As we encounter clients who would benefit from additional business support, they call upon SUI’s experienced staff.  SUI has provided professional services to many industry firms, filling a variety of roles and accomplishing many tasks, for example: audit support; part time CEO and CFO; IIROC/MFDA registration; AML audit support; expert witness; and custom leadership and executive training programs, including Fast Track to PDO and CCO.  
 
Whether delivered online, in class or virtual format, the company uses innovative training techniques to make dry subjects interesting and engaging for participants. These techniques include role playing, gamification and dramatization; and whether we speak in French or English, we teach in plain language so that even the most complex of industry regulation is understood.